A New Look at the Micronation/Microstate

Micronation/Microstate

With rapid growth in the renewable sector and development of offshore windfarms it must be easier than ever to build your own island.

Introduction - Why Micronations?

Sealand's history makes great reading, “wouldn't that be an interesting thing to do” many will probably say to themselves. But would you live there?

From some basic research the only people involved in micronation projects are pretty eccentric. There are plenty of examples of 'Emperor' this, 'King' that. Many of them dressed like Muammar Gaddafi, hopefully without sharing the same aspirations. The the driving factors behind most of the existing micronations are either: to avoid tax or as an ego boost.

Micronations draw in many libertarians who want to avoid contributing to society. They seem to be an ideal place for driven people to test out their own political visions. With a blank sheet of paper how would you run a country? Personally I'm drawn to Howard's Cities of To-morrow but that's for another post.

I wonder how many men out there have 'pass times', that spent endless hours in their man-caves/garages tinkering with engines, models, guns, woodwork etc. What if these skills were used to build and maintain a home, a safe haven for their families. (Think of all the fun pieces of gear to tinker with: rainwater filters, generators, plumbing, winches, boats as well as the actual structure itself. The added pressure of being stranded in the ocean may be a bonus to some.) In this regard there is an element of Frank Lloyed Wright'sBroadacres with it's back to basics frontier-esque, independent, working family unit approach.

I guess this post is one of those 'Hold my beer.' moments. I will try to put together the basics of a hypothetical micronation. This is a precursor to a mission statement.

The purpose of the venture is to:

• become the worlds first carbon negative country
• become a microstate (sovereign micronation)
• be as sustainable in consumables as possible
• attract permanent residents and create a positive and safe environment to live and work.
• Provide international aid at a function of GDP (perhaps 1%)
• develop a positive working relationship with surrounding authorities

Stretch Goals are always fun.

• Create a template for micronations to follow.
• Create a forum for micronations to work together. (For agglomeration economies among other benefits)

In the long run it would be interesting for the project to take the form of an application for planning permission in principle. Without microstate/nation status the choice of location may be much easier and still achieve the same goals. This relies on support from whatever authority has jurisdiction. Food for thought.

Where to go from here?

I have divided the project into three sections: sustainability, location and relations. A quick brain storm gave some points to research as well as some additional goals.

In later posts I will go into:

• Development Perspectives
• Legal Status
• Location
• Sustainability of Consumables
• Physical Structures